Osteophytes, commonly called bone spurs, are bony projections that develop along the edges of bones. They may form on any bone including vertebrae, and often form where bones meet at joints. Osteophytes may also develop where ligaments and tendons connect to bone. Range of motion is frequently limited in the affected joint and although osteophytes themselves are not painful, they frequently rub against nerves and cause pain. All vertebrate species are subject to the development of osteophytes.
Osteophyte formation has been classically related to any sequential and consequential changes in bone formation due to aging, degeneration, mechanical instability, and disease. For forty-two percent of the adult human population, degeneration and development of osteophytes will lead to symptoms of neck and back pain, radiating arm and leg pain, and weakness in the extremities during their lifetime.
Medical treatments for osteophytes are typically palliative and not directed at the underlying problem. Osteophytes that limit range of motion or cause other problems that limit ability may require surgery to prevent further joint damage. Surgical options are determined by the location of the osteophyte. Osteophytes are often removed as part of a more comprehensive surgery for osteoarthritis. For example, with osteoarthritis in an elbow the surgeon may remove osteophytes while making other repairs to the joint. Access to the joint for removal of osteophytes may be via arthroscopic surgery or with an open procedure.
There is no teaching in the art of a method for preventing, slowing, attenuating, mitigating, and/or ameliorating the formation of osteophytes in bone remodeling in a vertebrate subject by administering a composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of an exogenous hyaluronan to the subject. The present disclosure provides such a method.